My heart bleeds
by Hazel-Hazard
Summary: Beginning of series 4, in between episodes. LESTER/OC. Humor/romance/smut.
1. Chapter 1

**Authors note: Set in the beginning of series four, just a short first chapter. My first fanfiction! So, don't be meanies. Also, rating may change for later chapters. (everyone loves a bit of smut ;) )**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Apart from the "mysterious woman" who will be properly introduced in the next chapter :3**

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><p><strong>Chapter one<strong>

'_RING RING, RING RING'_

" Nughh.." Connor leaned out of bed and started searching for his phone on the floor, not bothering to open his eyes. Eventually he found it, and jumped as Jess started yelling instructions at him down the phone.

"Connor! Get Abby up now! There's an anomaly, get to the ARC." Then she hung up. Connor grumbled some more then reluctantly fumbled his way out of bed in search of clothes.

Sirens were blazing at the ARC, Jess was typing frantically into her computer, trying to find the location of the anomaly. She froze. "Oh god..."

"What?" Becker's urgent voice was behind her, awaiting instructions.

"It's... It's at a public library..." Jess managed to shake herself free of the dread of having to write a cover story for this, and gave the team directions.

Becker was the first to arrive. He blasted into the library with such force he nearly knocked out a middle aged librarian.

"Oh my word!" She said, flustered, Becker interrupted- "Get everybody out, now, evacuate the building." Then he went to find the anomaly, leaving the poor woman floundering about screeching "Everybody out! There's a man with a gun! Oh dear, oh dear..."

Next to appear were Abby, Connor and Matt: Abby and Connor looking suitably dishevelled having woken up so quickly, and Matt, calm and collected, obviously an early riser.

They scoured the building until they found the anomaly in a store cupboard, and closed it immediately. "Becker, Abby, there are two levels to this building. You two check the upper floor, whilst me and Connor check below. We don't know if there's a creature incursion or not." Matt instructed, before setting off back to the entrance, with Connor trailing behind.

The upper level was dark, dusty and unused, apart from to store crates of books. Abby fumbled for the light switch, and flipped it on. They stepped silently down the corridor, waiting for the lights to blink into life. And once they did, both of them stopped in their tracks.

In the middle of a corridor, there was a woman. She was crouched, petting and cooing to something they couldn't see. She looked up, grinned, and said, "Well you lot took your time."

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><p><strong>Editauthors note: Uploady things being funny. (yes, that is a technical term) so I'm putting two chapters in one. Enjoy ^-^**

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><p><strong>Authors note: Yay! Mystery woman revealed. What do you all think? <strong>**J Please review, even criticism would be good :P**

**Disclaimer: I only own my OC, no other characters. **

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><p>Chapter 2<p>

Becker was instantly on guard. "And who the hell-" but Abby cut in, "Get away from the creature! It might be dangerous!"

The woman chuckled "Don't be silly. He's only a baby, a Deiononychus, if I'm not mistaken." She tickled the newborn reptile under its chin, whilst cooing "Aren't you? Just a widdle baby Deiononychus!"

Becker and Abby stared at each other incredulously, at a loss to know what to do.

1 hour later

"Right," Matt said, "Creatures safely back in the anomaly, anomaly closed, home in time for tea."

"What about that woman?" Becker grunted, gesturing towards the woman who was now leaning up against one of the cars, smiling coyly at one of Becker's men, who, to Becker's dismay, was practically dribbling.

"Ah." Matt sighed. "Take her back to the ARC for questioning; she seems to know a lot more about the anomalies than I'm comfortable with."

"Standford!" Becker barked, breaking the man from his spell. "Leave with the rest of the men, I will escort this woman back to the ARC personally."

As the soldier left, the woman smirked, "Finally!" She said, and, spreading her arms, she mockingly added; "Take me to your leader."

LESTERS POV

It had been a dull morning. The team were out after an anomaly, and he had just had to sit through what seemed like hours of the home secretary whining to him about health and safety. When he eventually got rid of her, his phone rang again almost immediately. Refraining from banging his head on the desk, he sighed, and grabbed the receiver.  
>"James Lester, and if this anything short of a mammoth, I don't want to hear it."<p>

He heard Matt chuckle at the other end of the line, making him, if possible, even more irate. "There's good news and bad news. The good news is the anomaly's closed, nobody's hurt and all the creatures are where they belong. The bad news is there was a woman at the anomaly site, who seems to know an awful lot about us. I'm bringing her in for questioning." Then he hung up, not giving him anytime to say that under no circumstances did he want some random member of the public to waltz into a top secret government building. Typical.

15 minutes later, he heard the team arriving, and stalked over to them with the full intention of threatening to lock Matt in the menagerie, when he stopped dead. He opened his mouth, then closed it again. The woman, walking towards him, was, well, stunning. Glossy black hair down past her shoulders, a heart shaped face and piercing blue eyes. She was wearing tight black jeans, a leather jacket and boots to match. She looked fearsome.

She sauntered over to him. "James Lester, I believe?" She said, smiling mischievously. Lester gave himself a mental slap. What an earth had gotten into him? He quickly resumed his sarcastic nonchalance. "Yes. And, forgive me for being rude, but who the hell are you?"

"A future ARC employee." She said, still smiling. He was taken aback.  
>"I'm sorry what?" when this woman who had walked in here with 'trouble' practically tattooed on her head, he certainly hadn't seen this coming.<p>

She pulled a file out of her bag. "My file. Complete with records of two years military training, and a degree in palaeontology. I've come to offer my services."

He could feel his annoyance rising. Twice now she's caught me off guard, the first simply because of her appearance. And now she waltzes in expecting me to hire her? "You seem awfully certain that there's a job here for you. We don't just hire anyone you know." Well, he mentally added- not anymore.

"I have the perfect qualifications for the job. With all due respect, it would be a mistake not to hire me." She was still smiling. She was so sure of herself! He raised his eyebrows, and flipped through her file, just about ready to rip this woman's confidence apart.

He stopped flipping. Bugger. He flipped some more. Double bugger. She had every conceivable qualification for the job, like she'd been training for it for years. He had to regain some control over this situation, this unfathomable woman.

"You have _some_ qualifications, that may prove useful if we were desperate, which, we are most certainly not." She raised her eyebrows; she knew perfectly well he was lying through his teeth. Lester, just about keeping his cool exterior, continued, "You do however have to be questioned. Step into my office. Matt, as team leader I want you there too. The rest of you, try not to burn the place down whilst I'm busy."

And with that, he turned and swept back into his office, mentally preparing himself to find every reason possible _not _to hire this woman. Once they were all seated, he decided to start with the most obvious and most crucial question. "How on earth, do you know about the anomalies?" he demanded.

She leaned forward, smirking. "There was an ad in the local newspaper." She said, sarcastically. Lester had just about had enough, "Listen, you tell me right now or I will have you arrested!" She sighed. "You know, you've yet to ask me my name."

Lester breathed deeply, trying to keep his temper down. "And what, is your name?"

"Clarissa. Clarissa Hart."

Lester stared, immediately putting the pieces together. Matt however, who, up until this point hadn't managed to get a word in edge ways, was able to take advantage of the silence. "So she's got a pretty name," he said, "it still doesn't explain how she knows about the ARC." He then looked at Lester's pale face, then to Clarissa's expectant one. "Does it?" he added, wanting Lester to explain.

But still Lester sat, in stony silence. Clarissa was the first to speak up. "Haven't you read the files on my brother?" She asked, finally dragging her eyes off Lester, to face Matt. "Stephen Hart. I would've thought they were using him as an example of what not to do in this job."

Lester finally got himself together, got his thoughts in some order, and said, "Right, well, isn't that lovely. A loyal sister, come to avenge her brother's death. However that still doesn't explain how you _know_ about the ARC. If you hadn't noticed, it's a top secret government facility."

"I know my way around a computer." Was all she offered as an explanation. She sighed, and then continued, "When government officials told me of my brother's untimely demise, they never said what caused it. I, being a naturally curious person took it upon myself to find out. I hacked into his computer; he never was the most inventive with passwords. I found all the files on the ARC, and then did some research of my own."

She took a breath, then continued; "I already had a degree in palaeontology, so all I needed was the military training and various courses in IT. So that's what I've been doing for the past couple of years. I don't want anyone else dying because of these creatures." She was now looking straight at Lester, "That's all I want to do, Lester. To help."

Lester looked into those piercing blue eyes, and knew she was telling the truth. There was just something about his woman, she did something to him. He didn't know whether to yell at her or take her out to dinner.

Lester, being Lester, took the first option. "Get out. Go and wait outside. I want to talk to Matt alone." She got up and walked out without another word.

Matt looked at Lester, puzzled. This was a very bizarre situation, but no matter how strange he could still see she'd be good useful to them. At the very least she could help Abby in the Menagerie. He couldn't understand why Lester was so angry with her. He decided to say as much, "Lester, surely we should at least give her a chance." He wanted her there, partly because her expertise could be useful, and partly because she could well be the key to everything, it would be hard to watch her if she wasn't working here.

Lester was fighting an inner battle. He could very well see she was be a useful asset, but she was the first person in years, or, in fact ever, to be able to cut through that sarcastic, cold outer shell he had worked so hard to build up. And he didn't like it one bit.


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors note: So, what does everyone think so far? To continue or not to continue? **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing blah blah**

Clarissa was waiting outside, watching Lester and Matt argue through the glass. She turned around, and started as she saw Connor was standing beside her, leaning up against the railings.

"So, how do you know about the anomalies?" he asked. She could tell he wasn't being rude, just curious. So, she told him the same story she had told Lester moments before. By the time she was finished, she had gathered quite an audience.

"It must have been really hard, to lose your brother like that." Jess said, sympathetically. Clarissa decided she liked Jess. She was sweet, and almost reminded her of herself, before her brother had died. That had been a hard year. Her big brother was reported dead, and her fiancé had left her. She had been completely broken. After that, she had cut herself off emotionally, thinking only of the anomalies and saving people's lives.

Clarissa shook herself back to the present. "Yes it was." She said, simply. There didn't seem to be anything else to say.

"He was a good guy, in the end." Said Connor, awkwardly. She smiled. Connor reminded her a lot of the puppy she had gotten when she was little, so loyal and obedient, and well, cute.

"He had his good days." She offered a small smile. She didn't like talking much about her brother normally, let alone with a crowd of people, she was getting more than a little uncomfortable with all the attention. Whether the crowd around her seemed to realise she didn't like all the attention, or they grew bored of her she didn't know, but soon they all began to filter away, leaving only Jess behind.

Clarissa looked at her thoughtfully. If Connor was a puppy, Jess was definitely a kitten. A fluffy bouncy kitten, the kind that would jump on to your lap and want to play.

I wonder what kind of animal Lester would be. Hmm. Something ferocious and stubborn she thought bitterly. But she sensed there was something more to Lester, and she didn't believe anyone could be that cold all the way through.

She then realised Jess had said something, and was waiting for a reply. "Sorry, what?"

"I said I hope they hire you." Said Jess, sympathetically. "It'd be good to have another girl on the team." Clarissa was about to make a remark about the amount of testosterone that must be flying about the place, what with all these 'alpha males' about, but Lester and Matt had come out of the office.

Matt looked more than a bit smug, obviously having won the battle, but Lester's face was unreadable. That bothered Clarissa more than she'd like to admit, she could usually read people very well, and there was something about Lester, she could see flashes of something, fighting through the sarcastic facade- only she wasn't sure what.

Lester cleared his throat. "Obviously it will have to be fully discussed with Phillip Burton when he gets back, but, for now we have decided to put you on a trial period. You will work in the menagerie and in our research centres, and under no circumstances are you to go out in the field. Understood?"

Clarissa decided this was the best she was going to get- for now. Maybe she could work on this Phillip Burton character, maybe he would let her out in the field.

"Thank you, Lester." She said; with a slight recline of her head. He simply said, Matt will show you to your office. Then went swiftly back into his own.

She followed Matt through to an office which was surprisingly close to the main room. It was a modest room, with a desk, computer, bookshelf and a few chairs. Still, she wouldn't be in it for long, she thought determinedly.

"I'll try and get you out on the front line as soon as possible; I can tell that's where you want to be." Said Matt.

"Thanks," she said, gratefully. "So, what base did you do your military training in?" She might as well get to know him, if he was going to be team leader. And, to be honest, she just wanted to hear more of that gorgeous Irish accent. She'd always had a weakness for them.

"Erm, nowhere you would have heard of I'm afraid." He smiled apologetically. Hmm. A bit vague but, she didn't like talking about herself much either, so she let it go. Matt turned to leave, and, for the first time since she'd entered the ARC, she was left alone with her thoughts.

Unfortunately, nothing philosophical came to mind, and her first thought was; "Let's try out the spinney chair!"


End file.
